Whisperings
by kiragecko
Summary: White hair, dark skin, and a nasty storm outside who is this newcomer to the mansion? They all think it's obvious.
1. Arrival

**Whisperings - Arrival**  
By kiragecko

_Being the first part of the story of Whisper and her adventures with the group known as the X-Men._

_The world was blackness tinged with pain. She felt like someone had tried to blow her up. What had happened? Someone had been there... they were... angry about something. What were they angry about? What had they done? An explosion! She sat up in horror and pain encompassed her body. The world was spinning and she was falling back down..._

_There were voices and she tried to open her eyes but they were already open. She just couldn't see anything. Everything was black and she was having trouble thinking. Didn't she recognize the voices? She was frustrated and worried and so many other emotions and she tried to sit up again..._

_

* * *

_

Whisper was sure it was Dr. McCoy. The thing in front of her might be blue and furry but it talked and moved just like her doctor. It also kept poking and prodding her with doctor-ish equipment. She had been staring at it distrustfully for the last five minutes while it talked in patented Dr. McCoy gibberish waiting for whatever hallucination she was having to go away but it was still here. She was going to have to do something about it.

"Dr. McCoy, are you here?"

The thing stopped and looked at her in a startled way.

"Are you inquiring about the whereabouts of the gloriously friendly, intelligent, and handsome scientist/teacher/doctor/savior-of-the-world?"

"Look I'm sorry Dr. McCoy, I know you're probably right in front of me. I think something's wrong with my eyes, or maybe my head, or something 'cause I'm seeing this talking big blue thing wearing your glasses and my head really hurts and please don't laugh 'cause I don't think it will help the headache at all."

She closed her eyes and sighed. Dr. McCoy didn't say anything.

"Are you there? Am I having hallucinations? Am I okay?"

"Yes, I am here. Dr. Henry McCoy. I am not sure, however, how you know me. Or how you think myself to look."

She felt to tired to answer his questions. Maybe if she didn't move she'd fall asleep again and wake up where things made sense.

There was some movement by the doorway and then someone was talking.

"How's the girl doing?"

"I am not sure, she seems to somehow know my name yet seems confused by my appearance."

"Like how do you mean?"

"Mrs. Wisdom?"

There was dead silence.

"What did you call me?"

There was something dangerous in the woman's voice. Whisper's eyes flew open. It was Katherine Wisdom and she looked incensed. Whisper had experienced an angry Mrs. Wisdom before and didn't want to repeat the experience.

"I'm really sorry Mrs. Wisdom, I didn't mean to make you angry. I don't know what's going on but don't be angry at me. Please."

She was near tears now. Nothing made any sense, her entire body hurt, and her headache was getting worse and worse. She closed her eyes again and waited for the woman across the room to kill her.

What is going on? I can feel quite a shocking amount of emotion. Have you found a long lost relative, Katherine?

"She called me Mrs. WISDOM!"

Mrs. Drake! Nothing makes any sense! Why is Mrs. Wisdom so angry?

There was a short pause. Then Emma Frost gave a telepathic laugh.

Drake? You believe I married Robert? Scott, she thinks I married Robert!

Whisper gave an exhausted sob. A few tears trickled from under her eyelids. Hank, who had been watching his patient carefully while this had been happening, now hurried over.

"I do not believe my patient is taking this discussion in the most beneficiary of manners. It would be best if we delayed the talk until she is in a more settled state."

While he talked he gently gave her a needle. The girl felt a wave of relief as she slipped into unconsciousness. Everything would be okay when she woke up. She reached out to Emma as if to draw comfort. The startled ice queen felt the telepathic tug and granted the silent plea without thought. It was only after, when the girl was asleep, that she wondered why anyone would come to her for love.

* * *

_The X-Men were talking, arguing, about what she was. Delusional? Oracular? Alternate-dimensional? From the future? Implanted with false memories? A very good actress with a diabolical plan? A clone? _

_"Does it really matter? We're going to help her anyway. Why don't we give up the guessing and wait till she wakes up?"_

_And so they waited._


	2. Interrogation

**Whisperings - Interrogation**  
By kiragecko

_Being the second part, where attempts at clarification lead to more confusion and emotions are aroused._

I hate needles. For some reason this was the thought I awoke to. Needles and…

"Dr. McCoy?"

"Ah, our intriguing patient has returned to the domain of the animated. Is there any way I can assist you, mademoiselle?"

"Why was Mrs. Wisdom angry with me?"

"You are, I assume, referring to Miss Katherine Pryde, one time amour of Mr. Peter Wisdom? I feel she may have unresolved feeling for her erstwhile love that could account for her extravagant response."

"She divorced him?"

"They were not wed."

Silence. They were wed. They had a kid. I'd seen them a couple days ago, kissing in a rather disgusting manner. They WERE married. But then, so was Mrs. Drake.

"Where's Aaron?"

"I do not believe I know of the entity you are referring to."

"Please, Dr. McCoy, Mrs. Wisdom's son. Aaron Wisdom. He's sixteen, isn't a mutant. Please, Mr. McCoy, what happened to him?"

There was a long silence. When he finally spoke his voice was quiet and sad.

"I will return. I need to talk to some acquaintances. Please rest while I am gone. We will speak more when I am back."

I was left to my thoughts. I couldn't move because he had strapped me down - to protect an injured body part or to keep me from escaping? There was nothing to do but think. It wasn't very pleasant. What had happened to everyone I knew? Why weren't my parents here? It was an endless cycle of questions and there was no way to distract myself. It felt like days before the door opened again.

"I believe it would be to the benefit of both parties if you would give us some more information about yourself, my dear. Perhaps a name?"

It hadn't been real to this moment. I had just thought something terrible had happened to the people I cared about, something they wouldn't tell me about. Now I realized these people didn't even know me. They were not my friends and family at all.

"I should ask, what's YOUR name." The words were clipped- I was angry now.

A short pause.

"I had thought you had knowledge of my appellation. You have been referencing me in the correct manner."

"You aren't Dr. McCoy. I thought you were because I was in a clinic and it made sense but you're not. I want to know who you are and why you're playing with my head!"

Another pause. What would be his next move?

"Alright. I should be delighted to make formal introductions. It would be easier to explain our actions if you would impart us with a little knowledge of your previous life but I will attempt even if you choose not to.

"I am Dr. Henry McCoy. I am part of the group known as the X-Men. We fight to protect both mutants and humans from aggressors of any type. You are in Xavier's Institute, a school for mutant youth; though we are open to anyone."

I interrupted him there. I was half way between shock and blinding rage.

"I'm in North America!"

There was a surprised sound from the Beast imitator.

"Of course, you were not aware of this? I had thought you lived with the X-Men."

"There are no X-Men! At least not real ones. Who are you really?"

"I had not thought her history would be quite so divergent…" He was musing to himself now and it made no sense. Divergent history? "Still, I must calm her, stress could be damaging at this point… I am attempting to illuminate you. Please find patience for my awkward narrative.

"It seems we have not occupied the same time plane for an extended period of time. As the world outside conforms to my companions and my experiences it could be assumed you are the displaced personage. Your orientation in this temporal location will be difficult but could be much eased if both sides chronicled our existential experiences. As I am not aware of the anomalies between our birth times I am likely to omit vital information. Still, the base actuality is this - you are not in the time/place local of your development and the folks you knew are in all probability different."

Time travel. To the past, I guess. That's what he's saying.

"What year?"

"It is the year 2005 anno Domini."

I tried to translate, but couldn't. When had they stopped using that system? I couldn't remember but I didn't think it had made it past the 1900's. Had it? I would have to find some other measurement.

"How old it Mrs. Wisdom?"

"I would refer to Miss Pryde as Miss Pryde and I would have to ask her exact age. Why do you ask?"

"I want to know how long ago it is."

While he went to talk to Mrs. Wisdom I figured out how old she was. She was 18 when she had Aaron and he was 16. That made 34. Okay.

"Miss Pryde is 21."

No. That was not okay. She had to be less then 17. "No she isn't."

"I'm sorry?"

"She isn't 21. Aaron was three then!"

"I see. It seems we vary place as well as time. I believe the term for this is an alternate reality."

"You mean like Rachel?"

"You know of Rachel Summ… the daughter of Scott and Jean?"

"Yeah. She isn't Rachel Summers here?"

"I believe she is going by her mother's name at the moment."

"Jean is alive?"

He started at the vehemence in my voice. I was too disoriented to hide it. They may call her a hero but the Phoenix is evil and Jean is responsible for it.

"No, Jean is not alive at the moment."

He sounded like he wanted to say more, but he decided not to. I wasn't surprised. There are always unsaid things when you talk about the Phoenix.

After a pause he answered the original question.

"Yes, it is possible that you have had an occurrence similar to Rachel's. Could you tell me more about your time so we could be sure?"

He was trying again. I wasn't telling him anything until I knew I could trust these people.

"Why don't you tell me about here and I can see how things are different for myself."


	3. Introductions

**Whisperings - Introductions**  
By kiragecko

_The third part. Another view point on the unfolding narrative._

I decided it would be best to describe the various X-Men before I went on to the rest of the world. She was almost certainly related to one or more of them (the white hair and dark skin made a good case for one of the parents) and I wasn't sure how well she knew the others. It would be best if she knew the status of the people she had known. First however, I needed to know her name.

"Whisper."

That was it. A codename from a girl who denied that the X-Men even existed in her time. No last name, no way to identify her. Reminded me of several of my team mates, in fact. I wasn't going to get anything else so I began my list. Names, teams, and especially relationships. We had to make sure she didn't go calling anybody else by their ex's name.

"I am Hank McCoy, of course, also known as Beast. We are divided into teams. My current companions are Miss Pryde and her perhaps relationship Piotr Rasputin, also…"

"Colossus! She's going out with Colossus again!"

Ah, it's a very good thing I asked Kitty not to come down here for a while.

"Yes, Colossus. Also on the team are Scott Summers - Cyclops - and his definite partner Emma Frost."

She went stiff at this and I gave her a chance to speak but she said nothing. I went on.

"Logan - Wolverine - is with us when he can but he is very busy with the other two teams and the missions he goes on himself. That is us. Alex Summ…"

A quieter interruption this time.

"Does Wolverine have anyone?"

"He is close to Kitty and Jubilee, both of whom he helped raise. He also adopted a girl named Amiko…"

"Only them? No one after Jubilee?"

It was almost a whisper now. I felt a tightening in my chest at her obvious pain. Who had she lost this time? I wished I could help her, make it easier for her. I would have to get Rachel and perhaps Bishop down to talk to her - they might understand more. All I could do now was shake my head in answer to her question and keep going. Telling her all the other people she had lost.

"Alex Summers, Scott's brother leads another team. He's called Havok and is currently going out with a nurse named Annie, who has one son. Also on his team is Lorna Dane - Polaris - who was engaged to Alex. It might be best if you didn't talk about that in their hearing." Had they been married in her time? Did she even recognize their names? I couldn't tell, her face was blank now. "Bobby Drake - Iceman - is a member, as well as Remy LeBeau - Gambit - and Rogue. The latter two are together. The final team is lead by Ororo Monroe - Storm. With her are Rachel, Kurt Wagner - Nightcrawler, and Bishop. There seems to be some feelings between Miss Monroe and Logan..."

Her head jerked up again and I winced. Perhaps I shouldn't have said that, but it would probably have been worse for her to see something without being prepared. I doubted Logan was her father, somehow.

My communicator sounded and I excused myself.

"How can I be of service?"

"Is the girl really upset right now?"

"May I enquire why?"

"We've got a storm enough to knock in OUR windows going on outside, and now inside, and considering who she's probably related to..."

"I will speak to her with all haste and conclude my lecture on X-Men interactions at a different time."

* * *

"I am wondering, milady, if a certain weather pattern, of malignant intent, currently causing discomfort for the less aquatically inclined residents of this humble abode has any relationship to the disturbing revelation of your variation in local."

A sheepish expression slowly crossed her face. The kind one gives when they have been chided for something numerous times and know they've messed up once again.

"It's gone now. Mostly. No it isn't. I can't calm down! Mr. Summers is alive! And Gambit! Rachel's here!" The expression on her face changed. "Brit and Aaron don't exist. Or Erin or Esme or... anyone. And everyone's in love with the wrong person and... where's Mrs... um, Cecilia Reyes?"

I was glad I'd loosened her restraints before because she became very animated when she was upset. Why Cecilia? Did I even know where she was? She asked me again, impatiently.

"Dr. Reyes left the mansion several years ago. I believe she is practicing in a local less given to destruction and assault."

"At least she's not dead. Who is dead?"

"I can not guess at which compatriots you would have knowledge of. I lack the ability to name every member we have lost since our inauguration. Are there any I have omitted that you wish reports on?"

"Any one have kids?"

Oops, I had asked about her time again. I keep forgetting her discomfort when I do that. Hank, you've got to be more sensitive.

"There is Rachel, Nathan - Cable - Scott and -"

"I know him."

"Alright. Who else? Hmm. The Professor had a son, but he is no longer alive. As did Nathan. I don't thin -"

The communicator went again.

"She isn't related to this storm?"

"Oh. I'm sorry. I thought she had… right, she is having difficulty controlling her emotions. She's just found out most of the people she knew don't exist."

"We're going to have a huge amount of property damage and two students have already been injured!"

"That bad?"

"She's shattered all our windows! There's 300 m/h winds blowing down our hallways!"

"I'll talk to her again."


	4. Meetings

**Whisperings - Meetings**  
By kiragecko

_Part four. A character discovers the power of manipulation._

They all wanted to meet me. That was bad. I didn't want to see a bunch of strangers disguised as friends. Especially if what Dr. McCoy had said was true. Poor Mr. Drake. He loved kids so much.

I tried to think of excuses and tried to control the storm from three stories underground (which is much harder then you'd think). I'd finally given up killing it and had moved the stupid thing west a ways. Okay, problem solving time. How could I convince them that coming to say hello was a bad idea?

"I'm feeling really tired, Dr. McCoy, can I rest for awhile?"

He nods, turns down the lights, and leaves. I'm alone. Realization hits - I believe him. I believe that my best friend's mother is going out with a non-entity like Piotr, that Dr. McCoy never married Dr. Reyes-McCoy, that the Phoenix didn't kill Scott and he ended up marrying Emma, that my mother…. Not thinking that. I turn over, which hurts. Sleep isn't going to come. I want to look around but my leg is broken and I don't know how bad my insides are messed up. I'm in North America. In the place that used to be called the United States. In the Mansion. The X-Men are still active, which means the mutants are in bad shape. 'Course that's kind of obvious if I'm in the States. My mom leads a team…

She's NOT my mother! My mother would have had me already. She's just a woman who looks like my mother and has the same name. My mother doesn't exist anymore.

I'm crying now. Crying and angry and frustrated. Why did this happen? Why am I here? I try to remember. Something about an explosion… but there's nothing. All I can remember is waking and knowing someone had tried to blow me up. Why? I might not have that many friends but I'm not overflowing with super-powered enemies, either. Who'd want to kill me? And how had an explosion brought me here? It's not like I have much chance of a random secondary mutation that allows teleportation across dimensions. I control the weather!

Someone enters the room, quietly. I turn, ready to fight. Maybe these people are fakes. But it's someone who looks a lot like Mr. Summers. Both of them. Realization comes in a rush - its Cyclops.

"Mr. Summers?"

I can't keep the joy out of my voice. Mom never really recovered from his death. No one did. He was the X-Men's heart and soul.

He smiles at me and gives me a tray. I smile back. He's alive! For a second everything's okay.

"How are you feeling, Whisper?"

"Don't know. I think I've been drugged. Dr. McCoy never told me how bad I was hurt, do you know?"

"There was nothing major. The leg is only broken in one spot and only three of the cuts needed stitches. You'll probably hurt a lot after the pain killers wear off, though, you're almost entirely covered in bruises and abrasions."

I groan. I thought occurs to me.

"Where's Mrs. Summers?"

He blinks. Looks a little upset. Controls himself.

"She passed away."

I blink, then glare.

"Not the Phoenix, Mrs. Dr…Mrs. Sum…the woman who used to be Emma Frost!"

"Oh, Emma. She's still Emma Frost."

"I thought you guys were together."

"We are. Have been for several months. However, my wife died less then a year ago and… it's best if Emma and I don't rush things."

Oh. Everyone disapproves. Makes sense - everyone worships the Phoenix. And not everyone likes Mrs. Drake.

"Sorry. Where is she?"

"Running the school while I indulge my curiosity."

He smiles and I laugh. Everyone said he didn't have a sense of humor! Probably Mrs. Drake did this.

His face goes serious and I know he's getting ready to question me. Not again.

"Thanks for coming to see me, Mr. Summers. It was really nice of you. I'm full now and I'd like to go back to sleep. Could you leave me alone for a while?"

Like magic, he's up and asking my forgiveness. I smile and he disappears with the tray. I wonder what I'm going to do after I get better?


	5. Settling In

**Whisperings - Settling In**  
By kiragecko

_Time passes._

Notes - re: new arrival

It's been two weeks and we've got nothing from her. The garden is a flattened, soggy mess. No one goes outside. Ororo's back from the Savage Land with her team and is managing to at least calm the weather. Whisper's got far more raw power than Storm. She also has an impressive temper.

She will, under no circumstances, see anyone on Storm's team. She also refuses to say anything about her past. In fact, the only person she still seems comfortable talking to is Emma, surprisingly enough. It might be the fact that Emma seems to find 'Mrs. Drake' funny instead of offensive.

She refers to everyone by their last name. We've asked her to be more informal but it obviously makes her uncomfortable. The only success we've had is with 'Kitty' and that's only because Kitty was ready to kill Whisper if the name 'Mrs. Wisdom' was ever mentioned again.

I think I like her. She's like no one I've ever met before. 140 pounds of solid muscle on a broad, big boned, frame. Spiky, white hair. I'm almost sure she'll have a swagger when she can walk normally again. And her flight! 'Ro rises into the air on a graceful breeze. Whisper jerks into the sky with a sudden gust that almost knocks everyone over, including herself. She's been flying a lot, since she can't really walk. We keep the front door open so we don't have to deal with any more broken windows. We're lucky that it's warm out.

We've had some intriguing hints into what her world was like. She's never seen a movie. Almost spits whenever she talks about America. Her list of people she won't see keeps on growing. After a very uncomfortable meeting with Rogue, where she had to fight not to cry, they're avoiding each other. She just stared at Remy, silently, for so long that he excused himself and hasn't been back. She was horrified by the new Bobby and told him he didn't deserve Emma if he was going to be such a jerk. That didn't go too well. The list goes on.

I wish she'd agree to talk to Rachel. Hank insists it would help her. I agree. Rachel refused to tell me that she was my daughter for years. If she could explain to Whisper the pain that caused both of us, I'm sure everything would be much calmer around here. Especially since it's painfully obvious who she's avoiding.

* * *

Whisper was in the garden for the first time. The damage horrified her. 

"Mom's going to kill me," she muttered, before she caught herself. Her mother wasn't here to kill her.

It was a beautiful day and she started to relax. Alex's team had challenged Scott's to a game of baseball and sibling rivalry was fierce. Whisper was rather hazy on the rules but it looked like Scott's team was winning. Alex insinuated it was because his brother had stolen a teammate and intense arguing broke out about whose team Wolverine was on. The X-Man in question wandered over to the watcher.

"Enjoyin' yerself?"

"Yes. What's a home run?"

"Get all the way round. What you used ta playin'?"

"Football and hockey mostly."

"Hockey's a good game."

"You taught me."

She regretted the words the minute she said them but he didn't seem to notice.

"Not played in a lot of places. You any good?"

"Not with one leg."

He wanted to know where she was from, where hockey was played in her world. The comfortable feeling she'd had vanished.

"I'm heading back inside. Looks like your team's ready for you."

"Which one?"

He grinned at her. On impulse she dived at him, trying to knock him over. He hit the ground hard, unable to roll with a body on top of him. She leaped back to avoid his hands, landing hard on the broken leg. Fell laughing.

"You're so slow!"

"I wasn't expectin' ta get attacked by some nice little girl with bad hair."

"You said you were always ready."

"Did I tell ya you should be, too?"

She was already rolling. He caught her on the second roll.

"You do this kinda thing to me a lot?"

There was a moment of confusion in her laughing eyes and then she tried to break away.

"Sorry, forgot who you were for a moment. I should go."

"It's no problem. Always enjoy a good fight. Did I teach you to do that?"

Her eyes went down. She smelled of memories and sadness. "Yeah. You taught everyone."

Logan let her leave, rubbing his jaw where she'd struck home. Wondering what it would be like if ALL your memories were of things that hadn't happened. Wondering what it would be like if instead of constantly meeting people you couldn't remember, you constantly met people who didn't remember you.

He'd taught her well, anyways. That had been a very impressive punch.


	6. Confrontations

**Whisperings - Confrontations**  
By kiragecko

_The sixth part. Various interactions frustrate our protagonist. A note from the author:_

_Accents: no Canadian would ever talk like Logan so I'm assuming all the others are as ridiculous. Hope all the afflicted parties (i.e.. everyone who doesn't live in New England) finds this affront to their language as hilarious as I do. Don't take offence to my butchery, I'm just copying Marvel_.)

"Admit that 'Ro's your mom. Come on."

"Shut up."

"It's not like it's a mystery, Whisper. Storm's white hair, lovely brown skin…"

"SHUT UP, Drake!"

"Bobby. My name's Bobby. And you wanted jokes and teasing."

"No, I said I didn't like what you're like now, all depressed and nasty. I never said I wanted the old Drake back. I prefer my life without torture."

"Admit you like me like this. One positive thing. You can do it. 'I am not negative! How come you never smile? How could you fall in love with HIM? Stupid country with its stupid lack of pods (whatever pods are). What did you do to your hair? How could...'"

"Okay! I said positive things."

"Like what?"

"That I was happy Mr. Summers was alive."

"Right. And then you went right into a diatribe against the Phoenix and Jean and how they were evil incarnate."

"Since when do you know the word 'diatribe'?"

"Shut up."

"Hi, Bishop."

"Hello, Whisper."

"You do realize whose team he's on, don't you?"

".…"

"Let's see - you like Rachel, but won't talk to her..."

"DON'T."

* * *

"So, why do yah look at me lahk that?" 

"… I don't really want to talk about it."

"Ah am not avoidin' yah any longer and Ah'm not gonna let yah look at me lahk that unless Ah know what Ah did."

"YOU didn't do anything."

"Who did than?"

"… Where I grew up, Rogue did. But she's not you so it doesn't matter!"

"If it didn't matter you would be able tah look at me."

"Please."

"Was Ah still with the brotherhood? Did Ah kill half the X-Men or somethin'?"

"… Rogue wanted a baby so bad. She had wanted one for years and she couldn't touch anyone and you knew Remy wanted one to but you couldn't touch him. You were depressed and then you went a little crazy, you had to have, because you decided to do it. People think Remy let you, didn't fight back, and no one knows 'cause he's dead and you went crazy, really crazy, but you had the baby but you couldn't forgive yourself and Jean raised Marie until she decided to kill Scott and died and then Alex and Lorna raised all the kids. Rogue got out for a while and took care of Marie but.… Is that enough? What more do you want? I don't want to talk about it! I don't want to talk about home or you or my family or anything because I'm never going to see them again and it doesn't help anything. Did you want to know that? Are you happier now?"

* * *

"Hello, Whisper." 

"I'm not talking to you."

"Whisper, I..."

"I am NOT talking to you."

"Whisper... "

"NO! I'm not talking to you! You are NOT my mother! Go away. Go AWAY. My mother isn't here. I'm never going to see her again. You AREN'T her so leave me alone!"

* * *

"Let's see…." 

"I hate when you say that."

"I know. I love to see you cringe."

"Why do you hang out with me, Drake? I'm not friendly, I insulted you badly when we first met, I yell at you every conversation, and you usually end up drenched and deafened by the thunder. Why?"

"… No deep questions, please. That's my job."

"Your turn."

"Trade."

"What's your question?"

"Real name."

"Only first."

"Of course, otherwise we might find out about the people not to be mentioned. Hey, there's two of..."

"Finish that thought at any point in your life and you will be visited by a force ten tornado."

"First name only, gotcha."

"You go first."

"Rats. Okay…you see me as a person, not an endless supply of jokes and pranks, or more recently, sarcastic remarks. I like the fact that I could actually get a date, have it lead to marriage and, viola, kids! You might only say negative stuff but you make me think positively."

"Rats. I was hoping you'd chicken out."

"The goods."

"Danae. I was born Danae but people have been calling me Whisper since I was seven. Nobody but my - my mother uses - used Danae. No more questions."

* * *

"Mrs…Miss Frost, no one'll leave me alone!" 

"You could give them just enough information to satisfy their gossip needs."

"I don't think that would be a good idea."

"Why not?"

"Rogue won't get anywhere near Mr. Lebeau since I satisfied her need to know. She almost runs out of the room!"

"Perhaps if you tried something…happy?"

"Happy things make people realize how unhappy their life is. Unhappy things horrify them. Do you want me to talk about your wonderful marriage and three great kids? How wonderful Mr. Drake was with them?"

"… I can see your point."

"I just want them to leave me alone."

"They leave me alone."

"… I see your point."


	7. ‘Denial’ is Not a River in Egypt

**Whisperings - 'Denial' is Not a River in Egypt**  
By kiragecko

_The author begs forgiveness for the bad joke in the title and the Iceman is told to shut up yet again. The author begs for his forgiveness, as well._

I blast the woman in front of me, hurling her towards the ground. Right now Mom would be telling me to control myself and that thought enrages me. I was going to let this woman soften her landing with the elements she controls but I have changed my mind. We fought so much about control, my mother and I. I will not control myself now. She has realized she cannot outfight me and now the Windrider is trying to outmaneuver me. She's in for a bumpy ride on the wind because I control it now. I'm almost crying but not quite. Still, it's probably the blurring of my eyes that allows her to right herself at the last moment and utilize a cross-current I hadn't even noticed. Storm lands unharmed and among friends. She thinks they can protect her. Maybe Rachel or Kurt could, but they're not here. None of the others have a chance.

Mrs. Lebeau catches me by surprise. I've never seen her fight before and Rogue doesn't have her mother's invulnerability. It doesn't matter. I can knock down steel walls easily. I may not be able to hurt her but there's no way she can get near me if I don't want her to.

"Get away from Storm. She wanted to talk to me. Let's talk!"

Again it's a cross between a laugh and a cry. I always fought with my mom. That's just the way things were.

They crowd in closer, of course. I knock them all away semi-gently. No broken bones at least. I hope. Then I concentrate on my target. She's flying again and she doesn't want to.

"You want to know about my parents, don't you? It doesn't matter to you that it's none of your business! Okay, I'll tell you."

Oops, she's hit a tree. Got a bit distracted there. Not much blood, no doubling over from internal injuries - she only glanced off of it. Good.

"My mother left my father when I was three. I'm not sure if he noticed. She lost her job when I was seven. Never been the same since. She likes being in charge of stuff, in control. I learnt from her example, I guess. Decided I never wanted to be like her. It doesn't always have to be calm and sunny!"

We're over the water now - less things to hit. My mother is fighting with me in my head and this woman is fighting with me outside of it. All sides are going to lose. You know you're doomed when you start monologuing.

"You aren't her. Yes, she was Storm, but you aren't my mother! Never will be. You think you're so smart, figuring out who I am, but it doesn't change things. I'm not related to you, don't care about you, don't want to get to know you and start again. You won't replace my stupid, idiotic, broken, unyielding, stupid mother!"

I didn't really drop her. It was more an assisted dive. The wind was going the same direction as her at high speed. I'm not sure what I was trying to do, but Rogue got her before she drowned. I watch them head to shore. The cyclone is small, and it just gives me some room to breath. Even X-Men don't travel through cyclones easily.

Oh no. Rachel's here. She can travel through cyclones just fine. She's going to talk to me. I'm doomed.

* * *

"Remember, dealing with emotions is good, but try not to send people through trees while doing it." 

"That was an accident."

"And throwing Storm at the lake?"

"… That was on purpose."

"Now talk to Ororo."

"You gonna kick me off the X-Men if I don't? I'm not even a member and I don't want to be!"

"Talk to Ororo."

"I'm only doing this because we all grew up worshiping you."

"… Actually worshiping?"

"That look was priceless! No, not actual worship. You were there while we were young, and then you got lost in the time stream and we all lived for your brief reappearances. The big sister who never grew up."

"I should have known I wouldn't get a happy story."

"It was fine for you. You got to watch your brothers and sister grow up in like a year."

"That's happy? Don't answer, go talk to Ororo."

"Rachel? Thanks for talking to me."

"No problem. Anytime."

She stands uncomfortably in front of the woman who looks like her mother. After 'sorry' what is there to say?

"I know I am not your mother, child. I would like to get to know you, however. Could we not talk?"

"What's to talk about? We'll fight. We always fight."

"I am not the woman you knew. Perhaps we do not have to argue. I will not be telling you how to behave, or disciplining you."

"It just hurts, you know, looking at you. I mean, I never got along with my mother, and she never really got over the X-Men disbanding, but I loved her. I loved her so much and she's gone and I feel angry looking at you 'cause you're not her. It's not fair and you shouldn't act like her and it's even worse 'cause usually you act…better then she would. And you still garden."

She turned away then, because the last line had started her crying. They were silent for a while.

"Why did she stop gardening?"

* * *

"Okay, I'm only telling this once. Is everyone here? This is why the United States of America are an evil place no sane individual should live. By the way, this is how my best friend Aaron taught it to me. I don't talk like this. 

"There were sentinels, but they didn't work. There were secret government programs but they got stopped by decent people who somehow got into power. This obviously had to be rectified. So some fascist dictator took over the country and the Stupid Americans cheered because that meant the Mutant Menace would at last be dealt with. Reasonable people left. Mutants fled. Other governments started getting upset. The idiot dictator declared war, effectively them against the rest of the world. The rest of the world having almost all the superhumans by this point, of course. Mexico and Canada cut huge swaths out of their neighbour. All the rest of the mutants fled. The States was left alone in the Stone Age (maybe more like the Medieval Ages, but you get the point).

"Mutants were happy but humans were still scared. It was decided that mutants would be tried for their crimes, to make sure they didn't think they were above the law. Many of the X-Men got long sentences (they were mostly former criminals, remember). Vigilante action was now harmful to human/mutant relationships so the X-Men disbanded.

"Now, in my words, what happened after. Don't interrupt.

"We all relocated to France. Created our own English speaking village. Happy, happy, joy, joy until Jean killed Mr. Summers and herself. Everyone says how brave she was. Ugh.

"Things are invented, people get out of jail as fear dies down, kids grow up. Miss Lee wanders the countryside with Brit, visits every once in a while. I hang out with Brit and Aaron. People try to forget the past. Some do better then others. A lot of the X-Men have trouble finding jobs. Some don't know what to do now that their reason for existing is gone. Families, children can't compete with saving the world. Can't compete with leading your team into battle, making life or death decisions.

"…."

"Something happens, nasty explosion, I'm here. Any questions?"

"Who're Aaron's parents?"

"I have been told not to mention them on fear of death."

"Did he say 'bloody' a lot?"

"Bobby, shut up!"

"Hate you, Drake."

"I'm leaving."

"See, Kitty's gonna kill me now! And I didn't even mention them! After she finishes with me you are so dead, Drake…"


	8. Epilogue

**Whisperings - Epilogue**  
By kiragecko

_Things being tied up in the previous part, the author shamelessly teases the reader with dangling narrative. If enough complain, the story might be continued…_

"I can not believe I've joined the X-Men."

"…now we can decide on your costume later, first we need to consider..."

"Spandex? No way."

"Like I said, later. Now we need to decide which team..."

"Hey, kid."

"Hi, Logan!"

"What's up?"

"Her name isn't 'Doc'."

"Shut up, Popsicle."

"I was just thinking, Danae…."

"Who?"

"Drake!"

"Nice name. Been wondering when you'd tell it."

"Now I just need a last na..."

"Dead, Drake. Tornadoes. Remember?"

"What IS your last name, Whisper?"

"Death two. Want to join them, Logan-san?"

"Nah. Leave Alex alone. I want him alive when I next play ball. Scott don't got a chance."

"Only if you teach me the game. And tell me how to avoid spandex for the rest of my career as a crimefighter."

"If I knew that I wouldn't wander around with pointy ears on my mask."


End file.
